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Interstellar

Interstellar is the best film I’ve ever seen. I’m a huge fan of Christopher Nolan, I’ve seen everything he has made, except from Following. I loved his Batman trilogy, I was in awe of Inception, and I marvelled at The Prestige and Memento. Interstellar is his most ambitious project to date, not only in terms of scale, but also in the emotional depths that this film attempts to plum. It succeeds in almost every single way. If you plan on seeing this film, do yourself a favour and get down to nearest Imax screen. You will not regret it.

The films plot is complex. In a near future where the world is becoming uninhabitable for humans, Mathew McConaughey plays Cooper, an ex-NASA pilot, who in this dying world has become a farmer. Living with his father-in-law, son, and daughter, Murphy. He is asked by Michael Caine’s Professor Brand to pilot a space mission into a wormhole in order to find a new world for humans to colonise. The wormhole makes interstellar travel possible, providing a short cut through space to far away solar systems. Amongst the crew of the space shuttle is Professor Brands daughter Amelia, played by Anne Hathaway. Cooper agrees to the mission, even though it may mean never seeing his family again, something that Murphy can never forgive him for.

I loved this film for so many different reasons. The science, whilst complicated is explained well throughout the course of the film, meaning that you always understand what’s going on. Although a third act wtf? Moment, does require a leap in believability. The film was made with consultation from physicist Kip Thorne, who also inspired the script. According to him, all the black holes and wormholes are realistically portrayed. It is visually stunning. This is the first film since Following where Christopher Nolan hasn’t used his regular Director Of Photography Wally Pfister, who was busy directing Transcendence. This time it’s Hoyte Van Hoytema behind the camera, the DOP behind Let The Right One In and Her. He does a spectacular job. The film is a visual spectacle, with over an hour of footage shot in 15/70mm Imax. The most Imax footage ever for a feature film. With visual nods to 2001: A Space Odyssey, the space set scenes are awe inspiring, deserving to be watched on the biggest screen you can find.

Another highlight of the film is the score. Hans Zimmer, who redefined the modern blockbuster score with Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, has created his masterpiece with Interstellar. This is one of those scores which will be referred to as a classic. Memorable in all the right ways.

The film works though because of one man, the man of the moment, Matthew McConaughey. He is just spellbinding to watch on screen. In perhaps his most complex role to date, he delivers a performance which keeps the whole film grounded. The film really centres on him and the relationship he has with his daughter Murphy. The love they have for each other giving them both the will to survive, and attempt to save the whole of the human race.

The film can often seem like a science lesson, or even a philosophy lesson, with some of the loftiest, and most ambitious themes being tackled. But where I think this film transcends 2001: A Space Odyssey is the human emotions on show. The film will make you think, it will grip you, it will entertain you, but it will also make you cry. The film may have the visual sleekness of one of the space programmes robots, but underneath it has a huge heart. I can see the third act baffling some audiences, but I’ve never had a cinema experience quite like this one. It is the best film I have ever seen.